Supporting means for use with wire fencing



Feb. 7, 1967 c. GOODALL ETAL 3,302,933

SUPPORTING MEANS FOR USE WITH WIRE FENCING Filed Nov. 4, 1964 United States Patent 3,302,933 SUPPORTING MEANS FOR USE WITH WIRE FENCING Charles Goodall and Maurice Goodall, both of Silverllill, Barton-under-Needwood, England Filed Nov. 4, M64, Ser. No. 408,850

Claims priority, application #Great Britain, Nov. 18, 1963,

45,377/ 63 1 (Claim. (Ill. 256-48) This invention relates to supporting means for use with wire fencing and which are especially adapted to provide support for the fence wires at positions intermediate the main ground-engaging posts of the fence.

The objects of the invention is to provide such supporting means in a convenient form.

According to the present invention, wire supporting means for use with wire fencing embodies wire locating means which comprises a plurality of wire-receiving means connected together in spaced relation so as to be adapted to receive and support the wires of a wire fence, each of said wire-receiving means comprising a pair of wire loops arranged in a spaced side-by-side relation so as to be adapted to locate between them one of the fence wires, all of said wire loops being arranged in use so that they are co-axial with respect to each other and there being also provided an elongated locking rod which can be inserted into the co-axially disposed loops to prevent detachment of the fence wire from said wire-receiving means after said wires have been located thereby.

The pair of loops forming each of said wire-receiving means may comprise a pair of helically wound coils or they may comprise a pair of substantially parallel loops which are connected together at one pair of adjacent ends. Furthermore, the wire locating means may conveniently be formed from a single length of wire, the pair of loops being connected together by a plurality of straight portions of wire. Moreover, said single length of wire may be formed at at least one end with one of the pair of loops together with an integrally formed laterally projecting hook adapted to engage a fence wire to apply lateral pressure thereto.

The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side view of one form of wire supporting means in accordance with the invention,

FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 are fragmentary side views showing respectively modifications of the construction shown in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the device of FIGURE 3 with wire in section.

Referring firstly to FIGURE 1, the wire locating means shown therein embodies a support member formed from a single length of resilient wire (generally indicated by reference 1d) which is bent at intervals to provide a plurality of wire receiving means which each comprise a pair of substantially parallel and generally circular spaced wire loops 11 integrally connected together by a connecting portion 12 which forms an abutment for a fence wire 13 so that each fence wire will be located in use between a pair of wire loops 11. As will be seen in FIGURE 1 of the drawings all the loops 11 are coaxial and extend in spaced parallel planes, whilst each connecting portion 12 closes one side of the gap which is presented between the pair of loops 11 connected together by said connecting portion. The pairs of loops are integrally connected together by straight portions 14 so that all the fence wires can be located in a predetermined spaced relation. Furthermore, as will also be seen from the drawings all the connecting portions 12 are disposed so that access to all the aforesaid gaps between the pairs of loops 11 can be obtained from the same lateral direc- 3,302,933 Patented F eb. 7, 1967 tion with respect to the length of the support member 10 so that the latter can be assembled to the wires 13 of the fencing by displacing said member in a sideways direction transverse to the length of the fencing to engage said fencing wires 13 with the gaps between the loops 11 in the support member 10.

There is also provided an elongated locking rod 15 which as shown in FIGURE 1 is conveniently formed from a length of wire bent to a hairpin configuration. All the aforementioned loops 11 of the wire receiving means are co-axially arranged and the locking rod 15 is inserted into the loops after the fence wires have been located as above described,

Alternatively as shown in FIGURE 2, the locking rod may be formed over at least the major portion of its length (i.e. that portion which will extend through the aligned loops 11) from a single strand of wire 16. In this case the upper end of the locking rod may itself be formed with a loop on which is provided a sleeve 17 of electrically insulating material so that said loop can support an electrified wire carried above the other wires of the wire fence.

One of the pairs of loops 11 is conveniently disposed at one end of the support member (as shown in FIGURES 1, 3 and 4) and preferably such a pair of loops is disposed at each end of the length of the support member so that its overall length corresponds to the spacing between the uppermost and lowermost wires of the fence, disregarding any electrified wire. Also at least one end of the length of spring wire (and preferably at each end) there may be provided (as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3) a laterally projecting hook 18 which in use is adapted to be bent over and engaged with the fence wire which extends through the gap afforded between the two loops of the adjacent pair of loops. The free end of said hook 18 is disposed in a position such that it will be necessary to strain the hook in order to engage it with the fence wire, said hook thus being arranged resiliently to apply lateral pressure to the fence wire. The hooks shown in FIG- URES 1 and 3 are of different shapes but have the same function.

Thus the support member would be mounted on the Wire fence between a pair of ground-engaging posts (not shown) so that the .fence wires extend through the aforesaid gaps between the wire loops. The elongated locking member is then inserted through the loops to retain the fence wires in position and prevent them from becoming detached from the support member. The hook (where provided) at one or each end of the support member is then bent over the adjacent fence wire to apply lateral pressure thereto and the support member will thus be secured very firmly in position. Other support members and associated locking members would of course be provided at convenient intervals along the length of the fence. Thus the Wires of the fence would be securely maintained in the desired relationship along the whole length of the fence, but as an alternative to hooks 18 as above described there may be provided separate clips 19 as seen in FIG- URE 4, each clip having a locking bar 20 which is assembled to the clip as shown to assist in fastening the wire supporting means to the fence wires.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Wire supporting means for use with wire fencing having a plurality of spaced parallel wires, said means comprising a support member in the form of a length of resilient wire, and an elongated locking rod, said support member being formed with a plurality of pairs of loops, the pairs being spaced along the length of the support member and the loops of each pair being spaced apart over the major portions of their lengths to provide a gap through which a fence wire can extend and being integrally connected together by a connecting portion which provides an abutment for the fence wire and closes one side of said gap, all the loops being co-axial and being arranged so that they extend in spaced parallel planes Whilst all said connecting portions are disposed so that access to all the gaps can be obtained from the same lateral direction with respect to the length of the support member whereby the support member can be assembled to the wire fencing 0y displacing it in a sideways direction transverse to the length of the fencing to engage the wires of the fencing with said gaps between the loops in the support member, Whereafter the locking rod can be inserted lengthwise through the co-axial loops to retain the fencing wires in position, and a laterally extending hook forming an extension of the top loop of the topmost pair of loops extending from said loop in a direction requiring resilient stressing of said hook to rotate said resilient wire member to clamp said locking rod.

4 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 314,877 3/1885 Rains et al 256-48 X 514,922 2/ 1894 Fulmer. 598,226 2/1898 Hopler. 886,774 5/1908 Drew. 2,744,154 5/1956 Ludwig 25610 X FOREIGN PATENTS 309 1/ 1926 Australia. 234,995 8/ 1961 Australia.

1,680 1/1904 Great Britain.

HARRISON R MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

D, L. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner. 

